Throwers left out in the Cold
A visit to the track at the RSC last weekend left this correspondent speechless for once as I looked at the devastation caused to the throwing facilities by the construction of a rugby pitch in the centre of the track. For many years we had looked for a new shot circle as the old one was too close to the throwing cage. This came to fruition last year when a brand new shot circle was put in that would enable our athletes to train all year round without damaging the surface of the field. However in the last few weeks this area disappeared and the hammer and discus cage was demolished.
This has far reaching implications for our throwers.Waterford has a long and proud throwing tradition. Back in the 70’s De La Salle athletes coached by Tom Prendergast and the late Donal O’Keeffe won many national titles, and Patricia Walsh became the first Irishwoman to throw in a major championships when she competed in the Olympic Games. In the nineties the O’Brien family, Frank, Mike and Ailish set records in shot and discus that still stand to this date as they represented their club and schools on the national and international stage. In fact the present national throws coach is former international Ailish O’ Brien.
At present Waterford boasts some of the best young throwers in the country. Waterford athletes Kate Hickey, Jade Power, Zoe Scanlon and Tom Whelan hold All Ireland Discus titles Discus under 15, 16 and 17. These are among a group of athletes who are coached by Tom Prendergast and the group also includes hammer throwers like Cara Kennedy and Ciara Scanlon as well as several other young up and coming throwers from all clubs in Waterford and south Tipperary. They have been training hard all winter and now when they should be honing their skills in the throwing circle the cage has disappeared, making it impossible for them to train. This is a crucial time of year and time lost now cannot be made up later in the year, and will affect their performances in national and international events later in the summer. Athletes in south Tipperary and Wexford who regularly travel to train in Waterford will also feel the lack of this training facility.
Schools Championships may have to be held in Templemore or Kilkenny
Another implication of the demolishing of the cage and the removal of the shot circle is that the track in its present condition cannot host the schools championships. The Waterford Schools Championships is due to be held on Wed 28th April with the East Munster Championships on Wed May 5th and 12th. These are qualifying events for the Munster Championships and must include all the throwing events. If they cannot be held in Waterford then the only alternative will be to move the entire championships to either Kilkenny or Templemore at great inconvenience to athletes, schools, parents and officials. As a matter of urgency we need the throwing facilities reinstated to what they were before. We understand the corporation is proposing to build new facilities outside the arena and while we welcome any developments that will allow our athletes to train year round, we cannot wait for these developments later in the year. We need throwing facilities and we need them now.
All Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships
There was a wonderful spectacle of cross-country running in CIT on Saturday last as Munster hosted the All Ireland Schools Championships. A well laid out and stewarded course saw some top class races all completed and results available by 3.30p.m.
The best of the West Waterford athletes was Kate Veale who finished 4th in the intermediate girls race and earned herself selection on the schools international cross country team that will compete in Cornwall later in the month. Declan Power improved over twenty places from last year when he finished 3ist in the Senior boys event. The St Augustine’s junior boys team finished 6th with Ger Crowley 30th , Robbie Mulligan 45th, Einne O’ Casathaigh 51st , Jamie Fennell 63rd , Cian Dwyer 79th and Aiden Bergin 90th while the Ard Scoil team of Claire Collins 44th, Rebecca Maher 51st and Kaylee Norris 55th finished 10th in the senior girls event. Many thanks to the athletes and officials from West Waterford who travelled to CIT to assist in the running of this event.
